Arsenal should let Liverpool dominate and hit on the counter

EPL

LIVERPOOL

ARSENAL

The phrase "attack is the best form of defence" apparently dates back to 1775.

Judging by Liverpool's pedestrian defending in recent weeks, you could be excused for thinking that some of their players were born around that time.

For the first five months of the campaign, Liverpool were exhilarating to watch.

Their attacking play, spearheaded by the irresistible duo Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane, allowed Reds fans to dream of finally ending their 27-year wait for a 19th league title.

It was the 4-3 win at Arsenal on the opening weekend that set the tone - a seven-goal thriller that remains one of the standout games of the season.

The aftermath saw Gunners supporters once again lining up to demand the sacking of Arsene Wenger. No shock there.

However, as the two clubs prepare to do battle once again on Sunday morning (Singapore time), Juergen Klopp is now very much under the spotlight himself. His extended honeymoon period has given way to the day-to-day drudgery of a long-term relationship.

A damaging run of two wins in 12 matches since the turn of the year has led to an inevitable #KloppOut bandwagon, that's now gathering momentum on social media. When Liverpool defeated Manchester City on New Year's Eve, they were second, four points clear of Pep Guardiola's men.

Manchester United were seven points adrift in sixth but, by the time Klopp's men kick off against Arsenal on Sunday morning, they could find themselves in the position United have occupied conspicuously for the vast majority of the season.

Critics pointed to the fact that Klopp has presided over three transfer windows, yet his squad look unbalanced and lacking real depth.

I've even seen Liverpool's transfer window dealings under the German being described as "disastrous". Really?

First of all, I learnt during my post-graduate journalism course that the word "disastrous" should be reserved for situations resulting in death.

And, despite what Bill Shankly once said, football isn't more important than that.

The glaringly obvious issue for Liverpool is their porous backline.

Against a Leicester side who were always going to be stung into action by recent criticism, the Reds played with a suicidally high defensive line on Monday, allowing the Jamie Vardy Party to swop cold sausages and flat lemonade for caviar and champagne.

Liverpool are in dire need of a goalkeeper, a centre back and a left back. At the very least.

Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius make far too many high- profile errors, and are nowhere near commanding enough goalkeepers to inspire confidence in the rest of the troops.

If Klopp is allowed to spend only £20 million (S$34.8m) in the next transfer window, then he has to move heaven and earth to make Manuel Neuer his No. 1.

If Neuer won't swop Munich for Merseyside, then make a play for the next best option from the world's top goalkeepers list.

He'll need to get down to around the 5,000 mark before the names Mignolet and Karius appear on that particular roll.

Elsewhere in the back five, James Milner is a wholehearted and versatile player who can offer cover in just about any position, but surely a club of Liverpool's size should possess a top-quality specialist left back.

Similarly, when Lucas Leiva has stepped into the central defensive position for the odd game, he's looked fine but, over an extended period of matches, he tends to be found wanting - certainly for pace. He looks as though he's carrying a washing machine on his back.

Joel Matip is a good buy; in fact Liverpool were unbeaten in their first 14 matches with the Cameroon defender in the side.

His turning point was that ridiculous home defeat by Swansea at the end of January.

It was the Swansea clash that highlighted Liverpool's failings. Since the turn of the year, the Reds have beaten Tottenham convincingly and drawn with Man United and Chelsea.

However, one point from four matches against Sunderland, Swansea, Hull and Leicester is a miserable return.

It will be interesting to see how Arsenal approach Sunday morning's encounter.

The statistics suggest that the more possession Liverpool have and the more passes they make, the fewer games they win.

So will Wenger be tempted to adopt an underdog mentality, pack the defence and let the Reds dominate the ball?

I can't remember ever seeing a Wenger team play that way, but it's a strategy that has paid dividends so often this season against Klopp's men that it surely can't be ignored.

• Richard Lenton is the lead presenter at Eleven Sports Network. Join Richard and his studio guests for Eleven's live coverage of the Premier League, which includes the Sunday morning clash between Liverpool and Arsenal (1am), the Monday morning showdown between Sunderland and Man City, and Tuesday morning's West Ham versus Chelsea match-up (4am). For more details visit www.elevensports.sg